Student wins national retailer award

A Solent BA (Hons) Fashion Management with Marketing student, Aimee Biddle, recently won ‘Student of the Year’ in a competition run by footwear retailer, size?. Their annual ‘Syllabus’ competition, sees creative universities from across the UK compete on a live marketing brief for New Balance’s ‘Made in the UK’ collection. Module Leader, Joanne Gibson, said, "Working on a live brief alongside the teams at size? and New Balance proved to be an invaluable experience for the students. They showcased their creativity and ingenuity through a range of unique marketing ideas while gaining first hand exposure to industry pitching. We are really proud of Aimee who won the 'Student of the Year' prize at the size? syllabus awards ceremony in London."

We caught up with Aimee to find out more about the project and how it’s helped her with the course.

Tell us a bit about your marketing campaign concept.

This was such a great project to work on and it was so exciting to have the opportunity to pitch our ideas to members of the team at size? and New Balance. The concept for my marketing pitch was to create an event pop-up based around the history and production at New Balance’s Flimby Factory where they make their Made in the UK shoes.

What did it feel like to get nominated and then win ‘Student of the Year’?

I was so pleased to have even been nominated for this award, it felt great to have been recognised for my hard work and creativity on this project. I felt so honoured to have won the award, especially since everyone’s projects from Solent and the other universities were so great. I felt as though my efforts had definitely paid off, and I felt very proud of myself.

How do you think your course helped you with your achievement?

Being given the opportunity by the course to liaise with the teams at size? and New Balance was such a great help in developing my idea. Without the guest lecturers and various opportunities to present my ideas I wouldn’t have been able to conceptualise my project in the way I did. I’m very grateful our course provided those opportunities.

Have you learned anything from the process?

I feel as though my presentation skills have certainly developed throughout this process. It’s still extremely nerve racking to present, especially to those who are working in the industry, however I have a newfound confidence due to the recognition I’d received through the great feedback and the award.

Has the process inspired you in any way for your future career and what are your ambitions for when you graduate?

I would say that this process has developed my aspirations for a potential career within fashion marketing. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating my marketing campaign despite the hard work and challenges I faced. I could definitely see myself in a job that could foster my creativity within the marketing field!

To find out more about BA (Hons) Fashion Management with Marketing at Solent, visit the course page.